Systems and methods for structurally analyzing and printing parts

ABSTRACT

Methods and systems are disclosed for structurally analyzing and/or three-dimensional printing a part. The method may comprise receiving a model of the part for three-dimensional printing from a material comprising a matrix, receiving one or more properties for the material, and using the model, determining a print head tool path for use during the three-dimensional printing of the part. The method may also comprise determining a trajectory of at least one stiffness-contributing portion of the material based at least in part on the print head tool path, determining a performance of the part based at least in part on the one or more properties and the trajectory, and electronically outputting the performance of the part.

CROSS-REFERENCE

This application claims priority to U.S. application Ser. No.15/232,767, filed Aug. 9, 2016, which is entirely incorporated herein byreference.

BACKGROUND

Additive manufacturing is a process of creating three-dimensional partsby depositing overlapping layers of material under the guided control ofa computer. Techniques of additive manufacturing include, withoutlimitation, fused deposition modeling (FDM), fused filament fabrication(FFF), and Plastic Jet Printing (PJP). Using this technique, a material(e.g., a heated and/or pressurized thermoplastic) passes through a printhead. The print head is moved in a predefined trajectory (a.k.a., a toolpath) as the material discharges from the print head, such that thematerial is laid down in a particular pattern and shape of overlappinglayers. The material, after exiting the print head, hardens into a finalform.

In some applications, one or more fibers (e.g., one or more continuousor chopped fibers) move through the print head along with the materialto act as reinforcement for the final solidified part. This process maybe referred to as reinforced filament fusion (RFF).

Although FDM, FFF, PJP, and RFF manufacturing of structures can be anefficient way to produce high-performance and geometrically complexstructures, the performance of the printed structures may be difficultto predict. In particular, mechanical properties (e.g., stiffness,strength, etc.) of such printed structures are anisotropic in nature,exhibiting different characteristics in X, Y, and Z directions.

Historically, printed structures have been created using atrial-and-error method, where the part was printed, tested, andre-printed in a different manner until a successful part was produced.This process, while ultimately successful, can also be time consumingand expensive.

Recently, finite element analysis (FEA) has been used with some successto predict the performance of a printed part. In particular, printedparts have been analyzed using FEA, for example based on characteristicsof the material and bind sites located between layers of depositedmaterial. When using FEA, a physical part may not be printed until atheoretical design is created that may pass minimum FEA thresholds.

SUMMARY

While a finite element analysis (FEA) approach to designing printedparts may improve performance predictability and reduce resourcewasting, recognized herein are various issues with FEA. For example, FEAmay not fully account for the actual tool path or the anisotropic natureof the printed structures. Methods and systems provided herein mayovercome one or more problems identified above. The present disclosureprovides analysis systems and methods. In some cases, such systems andmethods are used for structurally analyzing printed parts or objects.

In an aspect, the present disclosure provides a method for structurallyanalyzing and/or three-dimensional printing a part, comprising (a)receiving, in computer memory, a model of the part for three-dimensionalprinting from a material comprising a matrix and fiber material; (b)receiving, in computer memory, one or more properties for the material;(c) using the model, determining a print head tool path for use duringthe three-dimensional printing of the part; (d) determining a trajectoryof at least one stiffness-contributing portion of the material based atleast in part on the print head tool path; (e) using one or morecomputer processors to determine a performance of the part based atleast in part on the one or more properties received in (b) and thetrajectory of the at least one stiffness-contributing portion determinedin (d); and (0 electronically outputting the performance of the partdetermined in (e).

In some embodiments, the at least one stiffness-contributing portion isat least one of a continuous fiber, chopped fibers, and polymer chains.

In some embodiments, the method further comprises generating a virtualmesh of analytic elements within the model of the part, whereindetermining the trajectory of the at least one stiffness-contributingportion comprises determining the trajectory of the at least onestiffness-contributing portion through each of the analytic elements. Insome embodiments, further comprising determining a three-dimensionalstiffness of each of the analytic elements based at least in part on (i)the trajectory of the at least one stiffness-contributing portionthrough each of the analytic elements and (ii) the one or moreproperties of the material and the at least one stiffness-contributingportion, wherein (e) comprises determining the performance of the partbased at least in part on an aggregation of three-dimensionalstiffnesses of each of the analytic elements.

In some embodiments, determining the three-dimensional stiffness of eachof the analytic elements comprises: determining intersection points anddirectional vectors of the at least one stiffness contributing elementwithin each of the analytic elements; determining a volume of theanalytic elements consumed by the at least one stiffness contributingelement using the intersection points; and determining thethree-dimensional stiffness of each of the analytic elements using thevolume of the analytic elements consumed by the at least one stiffnesscontributing element, the one or more properties of the material, one ormore properties of the at least one stiffness contributing element, andthe directional vectors.

In some embodiments, the performance of the part determined in (e)comprises at least one of a displacement field and a stress field of thepart. In some embodiments, further comprising receiving use informationfor the part, and wherein (e) comprises determining at least one of thedisplacement field and the stress field of the part based at least inpart on the use information.

In some embodiments, (f) comprises displaying the performance of thepart determined in (e) on a user interface. In some embodiments,displaying the performance of the part comprises displaying on the userinterface a graphical representation of the performance determined in(e) overlapped with one or more of the model of the part and the printhead tool path. In some embodiments, the method further comprisesreceiving a control instruction from a user regarding viewing ofprogression of the print head during virtual three-dimensional printingof the part; and responsively displaying on the user interface theperformance overlapped with a corresponding portion of the print headtool path on the part.

In some embodiments, the method further comprises generating acomparison of the performance of the part against a referenceperformance; and using the comparison to generate an additional printhead tool path.

In some embodiments, the method further comprises using the print headto generate the part along the print head tool path. In someembodiments, the print head additively generates the part.

In some embodiments, the part is generated if the performance determinedin (e) meets a reference performance. In some embodiments, the methodfurther comprises receiving instruction(s) from a user to generate thepart prior to using the print head to generate the part.

In some embodiments, the material further comprises a fiber.

Another aspect provides a non-transitory computer-readable mediumcomprising machine-executable code that, upon execution by one or morecomputer processors, implements a method for structurally analyzingand/or three-dimensional printing a part, the method comprising: (a)receiving, in computer memory, a model of the part for three-dimensionalprinting from a material comprising a matrix and fiber material; (b)receiving, in computer memory, one or more properties for the material;(c) using the model, determining a print head tool path for use duringthe three-dimensional printing of the part; (d) determining a trajectoryof at least one stiffness-contributing portion of the material based atleast in part on the print head tool path; (e) determining a performanceof the part based at least in part on the one or more propertiesreceived in (b) and the trajectory of the at least onestiffness-contributing portion determined in (d); and (f) electronicallyoutputting the performance of the part determined in (e).

In some embodiments, the at least one stiffness-contributing portion isat least one of a continuous fiber, chopped fibers, and polymer chains.

In some embodiments, the method further comprises generating a virtualmesh of analytic elements within the model of the part, and whereindetermining the trajectory of the at least one stiffness-contributingportion comprises determining the trajectory of the at least onestiffness-contributing portion through each of the analytic elements.

In some embodiments, the method further comprises determining athree-dimensional stiffness of each of the analytic elements based atleast in part on (i) the trajectory of the at least onestiffness-contributing portion through each of the analytic elements and(ii) the one or more properties of the material and the at least onestiffness-contributing portion, wherein (e) comprises determining theperformance of the part based at least in part on aggregation ofthree-dimensional stiffnesses of each of the analytic elements.

In some embodiments, determining the three-dimensional stiffness of eachof the analytic elements comprises: determining intersection points anddirectional vectors of the at least one stiffness contributing elementwithin each of the analytic elements; determining a volume of theanalytic elements consumed by the at least one stiffness contributingelement using the intersection points; and determining thethree-dimensional stiffness of each of the analytic elements using thevolume of the analytic elements consumed by the at least one stiffnesscontributing element, the one or more properties of the material, one ormore properties of the at least one stiffness contributing element, andthe directional vectors.

In some embodiments, the performance of the part determined in (e)comprises at least one of a displacement field and a stress field of thepart. In some embodiments, the method further comprises receiving useinformation for the part, and wherein (e) comprises determining at leastone of the displacement field and the stress field of the part based atleast in part on the use information.

In some embodiments, (f) comprises displaying the performance of thepart determined in (e) on a user interface. In some embodiments,displaying the performance of the part comprises displaying on the userinterface a graphical representation of the performance determined in(e) overlapped with one or more of the model of the part and the printhead tool path. In some embodiments, the method further comprises:receiving a control instruction from a user regarding viewing ofprogression of the print head during virtual three-dimensional printingof the part; and responsively displaying on the user interface theperformance overlapped with a corresponding portion of the print headtool path on the part.

In some embodiments, the method further comprises generating acomparison of the performance of the part against a referenceperformance; and generating an additional print head tool path using thecomparison. In some embodiments, the method further comprises using theprint head to generate the part along the print head tool path. In someembodiments, the part is generated if the performance determined in (e)meets a reference performance.

In another aspect, a system for structurally analyzing and/orthree-dimensional printing a part is provided. The system comprisescomputer memory comprising computer-executable instructions storedtherein for analyzing and/or three-dimensional printing the part; andone or more computer processors in electrical communication with thecomputer memory and programmed to execute the computer-executableinstructions to: (a) receive, in the computer memory, a model of thepart for three-dimensional printing from a material comprising a matrixand fiber material; (b) receive, in the computer memory, one or moreproperties of the material; (c) using the model, determine a print headtool path for use during the three-dimensional printing of the part; (d)determine a trajectory of the at least one stiffness-contributingportion of the material based at least in part on the print head toolpath; (e) determine a performance of the part based at least in part onthe one or more properties received in (b) and the trajectory of the atleast one stiffness-contributing portion determined in (d); and (f)electronically output the performance of the part determined in (e).

In another aspect, the present disclosure provides a method forstructurally analyzing a printed part (or object). The method mayinclude receiving a model of the part to be printed from a materialconsisting of at least a matrix, receiving properties for the material,and determining a print head tool path for printing the part. The methodmay also include determining a trajectory of at least onestiffness-contributing portion of the material. The trajectory may bedetermined based on the print head tool path. The method may furtherinclude predicting a performance of the part based on the properties andthe trajectory, and displaying the predicted performance of the part.

In another aspect, the present disclosure provides a method forstructurally analyzing a part, comprising (a) receiving a model of thepart to be printed from a material consisting of at least a matrix; (b)receiving properties for the material; (c) determining a print head toolpath for printing the part; (d) determining a trajectory of at least onestiffness-contributing portion of the material based on the print headtool path; (e) predicting a performance of the part based on theproperties and also based on the trajectory of the at least onestiffness-contributing portion; and displaying the predicted performanceof the part.

In another aspect, the present disclosure provides a non-transitorycomputer-readable medium storing instructions that are executable by atleast one processor to cause the at least one processor to perform amethod for structurally analyzing a part, the method comprising (a)receiving a model of the part to be printed from a material consistingof at least a matrix; (b) receiving properties for the material; (c)determining a print head tool path for printing the part; (d)determining a trajectory of at least one stiffness-contributing portionof the material based on the print head tool path; (e) predicting aperformance of the part based on the properties and also based on thetrajectory of the at least one stiffness-contributing portion; and (f)displaying the predicted performance of the part.

In another aspect, the present disclosure provides a system forstructurally analyzing a part. The system may include a display, amemory having computer-executable instructions stored thereon, and aprocessor in communication with the display and configured to executethe stored instructions to receive a model of the part to be printedfrom a material comprising a matrix and at least one fiber, to receivematerial properties for the matrix and at least one fiber, to receiveintended or predetermined use information associated with the part, andto determine a print head tool path for printing the part. In somecases, the material consists of the matrix and at least one fiber. Theprocessor may also execute the stored instructions to generate a virtualmesh of analytic elements within the model of the part, to determine thetrajectory of the at least one fiber through each of the analyticelements based on the print head tool path, and to determine athree-dimensional stiffness of each of the analytic elements based onthe trajectory of the at least one fiber through each of the analyticelements and based on the material properties for the matrix and the atleast one fiber. The processor may further execute the storedinstructions to predict at least one of a stress field and adisplacement field of the part based on aggregation of thethree-dimensional stiffnesses of the analytic elements and the intendeduse information, and to show on the display a graphical representationof the predicted at least one of the stress field and the displacementfield of the part overlapped with the model of the part and the printhead tool path.

Consistent with other disclosed embodiments, non-transitorycomputer-readable storage media can store program instructions, whichmay be executed by a computer processor to perform any of the methodsdescribed herein.

Additional aspects and advantages of the present disclosure will becomereadily apparent to those skilled in this art from the followingdetailed description, wherein only illustrative embodiments of thepresent disclosure are shown and described. As will be realized, thepresent disclosure is capable of other and different embodiments, andits several details are capable of modifications in various obviousrespects, all without departing from the disclosure. Accordingly, thedrawings and description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature,and not as restrictive.

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

All publications, patents, and patent applications mentioned in thisspecification are herein incorporated by reference to the same extent asif each individual publication, patent, or patent application wasspecifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference.To the extent publications and patents or patent applicationsincorporated by reference contradict the disclosure contained in thespecification, the specification is intended to supersede and/or takeprecedence over any such contradictory material.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The novel features of the invention are set forth with particularity inthe appended claims. A better understanding of the features andadvantages of the present invention will be obtained by reference to thefollowing detailed description that sets forth illustrative embodiments,in which the principles of the invention are utilized, and theaccompanying drawings (also “Figure” and “FIG.” herein), of which:

FIG. 1 is diagrammatic illustration of an exemplary disclosed system formaking and/or analyzing printed parts;

FIGS. 2-4 are perspective illustrations of exemplary tracks of materialprinted by the system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4a is an enlarged illustration of a portion of FIG. 4;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart depicting an exemplary method that may beperformed by the system of FIG. 1 during the making and/or analyzing ofthe printed part;

FIG. 6 is a perspective illustration of an exemplary disclosed partmodel that may be generated during analysis by the system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a perspective illustration of an exemplary disclosed analyticelement of the part model shown in FIG. 6; and

FIG. 8 is a perspective illustration of the part model of FIG. 6 showingdetermined performance when intended use conditions are applied.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

While various embodiments of the invention have been shown and describedherein, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that suchembodiments are provided by way of example only. Numerous variations,changes, and substitutions may occur to those skilled in the art withoutdeparting from the invention. It should be understood that variousalternatives to the embodiments of the invention described herein may beemployed.

The term “three-dimensional printing” (also “3D printing”), as usedherein, generally refers to a process or method for generating a 3D part(or object). For example, 3D printing may refer to sequential additionof material layer or joining of material layers or parts of materiallayers to form a 3D structure, in a controlled manner (e.g., underautomated control). In the 3D printing process, the deposited materialcan be fused, sintered, melted, bound or otherwise connected to form atleast a part of the 3D object. Fusing the material may include meltingor sintering the material. Binding can comprise chemical bonding.Chemical bonding can comprise covalent bonding. Examples of 3D printinginclude additive printing (e.g., layer by layer printing, or additivemanufacturing). The 3D printing may further comprise subtractiveprinting.

Examples of 3D printing methodologies can comprise extrusion, wire,granular, laminated, light polymerization, or power bed and inkjet head3D printing. Extrusion 3D printing can comprise robo-casting, fuseddeposition modeling (FDM) or fused filament fabrication (FFF). Wire 3Dprinting can comprise electron beam freeform fabrication (EBF3).Granular 3D printing can comprise direct metal laser sintering (DMLS),electron beam melting (EBM), selective laser melting (SLM), selectiveheat sintering (SHS), or selective laser sintering (SLS). Power bed andinkjet head 3D printing can comprise plaster-based 3D printing (PP).Laminated 3D printing can comprise laminated object manufacturing (LOM).Light polymerized 3D printing can comprise stereo-lithography (SLA),digital light processing (DLP) or laminated object manufacturing (LOM).

3D printing may be performed using various materials. In some examples,a material that may be used in 3D printing includes a polymericmaterial, elemental metal, metal alloy, a ceramic, an allotrope ofelemental carbon, or a combination thereof. The allotrope of elementalcarbon may comprise amorphous carbon, graphite, graphene, diamond, orfullerene. The fullerene may be selected from the group consisting of aspherical, elliptical, linear, and tubular fullerene. The fullerene maycomprise a buckyball or a carbon nanotube. The material may comprise anorganic material, for example, a polymer or a resin. The material maycomprise a solid or a liquid. The solid material may comprise powdermaterial. The powder material may be coated by a coating (e.g., organiccoating such as the organic material (e.g., plastic coating)). Thepowder material may comprise sand. The material may be in the form of apowder, wire, pellet, or bead. The material may have one or more layers.The material may comprise at least two materials. In some cases, thematerial includes a reinforcing material (e.g., that forms a fiber). Thereinforcing material may comprise a carbon fiber, Kevlar®, Twaron®,ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene, or glass fiber.

The term “stiffness-contributing portion,” as used herein, generallyrefers to an element that provides structural support to a part. Astiffness-contributing portion may be a fiber. The fiber may becontinuous or discontinuous. The fiber can include one or more strands,such as one or more strands of a polymeric material. The fiber mayinclude a plurality of strands.

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary system 10, which may be used to makeand/or analyze a part 12 having any desired shape, size, and structure.System 10 may include, among other things, a printer 14 and at least onecomputing device 15. Printer 14 may be configured to create part 12under the guided control of computing device 15, for example by way ofan additive manufacturing process. Although a reinforced filament fusion(RFF) process will be described below as one example of how part 12 maybe created or generated, other processes may alternatively be utilizedfor this purpose. Examples of methods, systems and materials that may beused to create or generate objects or parts herein, including part 12,are provided in U.S. Patent Publication Nos. 2014/0232035, 2016/0176118,and U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 14/297,185, 14/621,205,14/623,471, 14/682,067, 14/874,963, 15/069,440, 15/072,270, 15/094,967,each of which is entirely incorporated herein by reference.

Printer 14 may be comprised of components that are controlled to createpart 12 layer-by-layer using RFF technology. Specifically, printer 14may include a support 16, a drive 18, and one or more heads 20. Eachhead 20 may be coupled to support 16 via drive 18. In the context ofFIG. 1, drive 18 is an overhead gantry capable of moving head 20 inmultiple directions during fabrication of part 12. Although drive 18 isshown as being capable of 3-axis movement, it is contemplated that anyother type of drive 18 (e.g., a robotic arm, an arm/gantry combination,etc.) capable of moving head 20 in the same or a different manner mayalso be utilized, if desired.

Each head 20 (only one shown in FIG. 1, for clarity) may be configuredto discharge at least a matrix material. For the purposes of thisdisclosure, a matrix material may be any material that can be dischargedfrom head 20 and include, for example, a resin, a polymer, concrete, ametal slurry, etc. The matrix material may be a singular homogenousmaterial. As an alternative, the matrix material may be mixed with,contain, or otherwise coat one or more reinforcements (e.g., continuousor chopped fibers, such as carbon fibers, glass fibers, metallic fibers,etc.). The matrix material and the fiber(s) may be supplied to head 20from a common source 22 (as a fiber core coated with a solidthermoplastic sleeve). As an alternative, the matrix material andfiber(s) may be provided separately. The matrix material may be suppliedin a solid, plastic, or liquid state, and head 20 may be capable ofliquefying (e.g., melting) the matrix material. The fiber(s) may becoated with the matrix material before and/or while passing through head20. As the matrix-coated reinforcements(s) discharge from head 20, thematrix material may harden.

Drive 18 may move head 20 in a particular trajectory (e.g., a trajectorycorresponding to an intended shape and size of part 12) at the same thatthe matrix-coated fiber(s) discharge from head 20, such that continuoustracks T of matrix-coated fiber(s) are formed along the trajectory.These tracks T of matrix-coated fiber(s) can be laid adjacent and/or ontop of each other while the matrix is still in a liquid or semi-liquidstate. The adjacent tracks T of matrix-coated fiber(s) form a connectedlayer, and the overlapping layers are built up to form part 12.

Exemplary tracks T are illustrated in FIGS. 2-4. In particular, FIG. 2illustrates an example track T having three continuous fibers F coatedin a matrix material M. It is contemplated that track T of FIG. 1 mayhave any number of fibers F (e.g., only one), and that the fibers F maybe radially dispersed with the matrix M or located at a general centerthereof. FIG. 3 illustrates another example track T having choppedfibers F coated in matrix material M. It is contemplated that track T ofFIG. 2 may have any number and lengths of fibers F, and that the fibersF may be radially dispersed with the matrix M. FIG. 4 illustratesanother example track T, which does not include any fibers (i.e., thatincludes only the matrix material M).

It has been determined that a trajectory of portions of the materialthat make up each of the tracks T shown in FIGS. 2-4 may contribute to acharacteristic (e.g., a stiffness) of part 12. In FIG. 2, thestiffness-contributing portions are the continuous fibers F. Inparticular, the continuous fibers F, because of the way in which theyare fed through head 20 (referring to FIG. 1) and deposited withinelongated tracks T, are generally aligned with the tool path of head 20.This general alignment may function to increase a stiffness of tracks Tin an axial direction. In FIG. 3, the stiffness-contributing portionsare the chopped fibers F. Specifically, although the chopped fibers F ofFIG. 2 may not be as aligned with the tool path of head 20 as thecontinuous fibers F may be (e.g., because of their shorter lengths anddisconnected nature), the chopped fibers F may still align somewhat withthe tool path because of the way in which the chopped fibers F are fedthrough head 20 (referring to FIG. 2). In some cases, the chopped fibersF have been shown to align by as much as 75-90% with the tool path ofhead 20. This general alignment, like the alignment of the continuousfiber F, may also function to increase a stiffness of tracks T in anaxial direction. In FIG. 4, the stiffness-contributing portions arepolymer chains PC (see FIG. 4a ) that make up the matrix M. Inparticular, the polymer chains PC, like the chopped fibers F, may stillbe caused to generally align with the tool path of head 20 during flowof the matrix M flows through head 20. This general alignment, like thealignment of the continuous fiber F and the chopped fibers F, may alsofunction to increase a stiffness of tracks T in an axial direction. Itshould be noted that, although not shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the polymerchains PC may still exist and contribute to the stiffness of tracks T,along with the continuous and/or chopped fibers F.

The alignment of the continuous fibers, chopped fibers, and polymerchains, along with properties of the matrix, properties of the fiber(s),a ratio of fiber volume-to-matrix volume within each track, etc., mayhave an effect on a performance (e.g., a strength, a deformation, adeflection, etc.) of part 12. Accordingly, the performance of part 12may be selectively adjusted by adjusting the trajectory of head 20during layer formation and/or adjusting the properties of the matrix,the properties of the fiber(s), the ratio of fiber area-to-matrix area,etc.

Any number of separate computing devices 15 may be used to control thetrajectory of head 20 during formation of part 12 and/or to analyze theperformance characteristics of part 12 before and/or after formation.Computing device 15 may include a display 24, one or more computerprocessors (“processors”) 26, any number of input/output (“I/O”) devices28, and one or more memories 30 for storing programs 32 and data 34.Programs 32 may include, for example, any number of analysis and/orprinting apps 36 and an operating system 38.

Display 24 of computing device 15 may include a liquid crystal display(LCD), a light emitting diode (LED) screen, an organic light emittingdiode (OLED) screen, and/or another display device. Display 24 may beused for display of data under the control of processor 26.

Computer processor (“processor”) 26 may be a single or multi-coreprocessor, in some cases configured with virtual processingtechnologies, and use logic to simultaneously execute and control anynumber of operations. Processor 26 may be configured to implementvirtual machine or other technologies to execute, control, run,manipulate, and store any number of software modules, applications,programs, etc. In addition, in some cases, processor 26 may include oneor more specialized hardware, software, and/or firmware modules (notshown) specially configured with particular circuitry, instructions,algorithms, and/or data to perform functions of the disclosed methods.It is appreciated that other types of processor arrangements may beimplemented that provide for the capabilities disclosed herein.

Memory 30 can be a volatile or non-volatile, magnetic, semiconductor,tape, optical, removable, non-removable, or other type of storage deviceor tangible and/or non-transitory computer-readable medium that storesone or more executable programs 32, such as analysis and/or printingapps 36 and operating system 38. Common forms of non-transitory mediainclude, for example, a flash drive, a flexible disk, a hard disk, asolid state drive, magnetic tape or other magnetic data storage medium,a CD-ROM or other optical data storage medium, any physical medium withpatterns of holes, a RAM, a PROM, and EPROM, a FLASH-EPROM or otherflash memory, NVRAM, a cache, a register or other memory chip orcartridge, and networked versions of the same.

Memory 30 may store instructions that enable processor 26 to execute oneor more applications, such as analysis and/or printing applications 36,operating system 38, and any other type of application or softwareavailable or executable on computer systems. Alternatively oradditionally, the instructions, application programs, etc. can be storedin an internal and/or external database (e.g., a cloud storagesystem—not shown) that is in direct communication with computing device15, such as one or more databases or memories accessible via one or morenetworks (not shown). Memory 30 can include one or more memory devicesthat store data and instructions usable to perform one or more featuresprovided herein. Memory 30 can also include any combination of one ormore databases controlled by memory controller devices (e.g., servers,etc.) or software, such as document management systems, Microsoft SQLdatabases, SharePoint databases, Oracle™ databases, Sybase™ databases,or other relational databases.

Computing device 15 may be communicatively connected to one or moreremote memory devices (e.g., remote databases—not shown) through anetwork. The remote memory devices can be configured to storeinformation that computing device 15 can access and/or manage. By way ofexample, the remote memory devices may be document management systems,Microsoft SQL database, SharePoint databases, Oracle™ databases, Sybase™databases, Cassandra, HBase, or other relational or non-relationaldatabases or regular files. Systems and methods provided herein,however, are not limited to separate databases or even to the use of adatabase.

Programs 32 may include one or more software or firmware modules causingprocessor 26 to perform one or more functions disclosed herein.Moreover, processor 26 can execute one or more programs located remotelyfrom computing device 15. For example, computing device 15 can accessone or more remote programs that, when executed, perform one or morefunctions disclosed herein. In some cases, programs 32 stored in memory30 and executed by processor 26 can include one or more of analysisand/or printing apps 36 and operating system 38. Analysis and/orprinting apps 36 may cause processor 26 to perform one or more functionsof the disclosed methods.

Operating system 38 may perform operating system functions when executedby one or more processors such as processor 26. By way of example,operating system 38 may include Microsoft Windows™, Unix™, Linux™, OSX™,and IOS™ operating systems, Android™ operating systems, or another typeof operating system 38. Accordingly, disclosed embodiments can operateand function with computer systems running any type of operating system38.

I/O devices 28 may include one or more interfaces for receiving signalsor input from a user and/or printer 14, and for providing signals oroutput to printer 14 that allow part 12 to be printed. For example,computing device 15 can include interface components for interfacingwith one or more input devices, such as one or more keyboards, mousedevices, and the like, which enable computing device 15 to receive inputfrom a user (not shown).

FIG. 5 is flow chart depicting a method 200 that may be implemented bycomputing device 15 to fabricate part 12 via printer 14 and/or toanalyze part 12. FIGS. 6-8 represent virtual models of part 12 that maybe generated by computing device 15 when following method 200. Thevirtual model may be a computer-generated model design of the part 12.

The disclosed systems and methods may be used to manufacture and/oranalyze high-performance parts (e.g., parts with or without reinforcingfibers) of any shape and size. Performance analysis of the parts may beperformed by the disclosed system before, during, and/or afterfabrication. In this manner, the parts may be produced with a higherlevel of confidence regarding performance in an intended application andwith less time and expense. Operation of system 10 will now be describedin detail, with respect to method 200 shown in FIG. 5.

As can be seen in FIG. 5, information regarding part 12 may be receivedinto system 10 (Operation 210). This information may include, amongother things, a three-dimensional model 40 (shown in FIG. 6) of part 12.The three-dimensional model 40 may be a model design of the part 12,such as a computer-generated design of the part 12. In the exemplarymodel 40 shown in FIG. 6, the matrix used to make part 12 is representedby a symbol M, while the tracks T correspond to a center-linetrajectory. Model 40 may be received as a collection of data that isinterpretable by processor 26 using programs 32 (e.g., app 36), the codedefining physical attributes (e.g., shape and size) of part 12. Model 40may be received by way of I/O devices 28 or a network connection,retrieved by processor 26 from memory 30, and/or generated and modifiedby processor 26 using programs 32.

Processor 26 may use programs 32 to create a virtual mesh of connectedanalytic elements 42 (shown in FIGS. 6 and 7) within model 40 (Operation220). Analytic elements 42 may be three-dimensional tetrahedrons. It iscontemplated, however, that any size and number of two- and/orthree-dimensional analytic elements 42 may be assembled to form thevirtual mesh. The analytic elements 42 may have various shapes, such as,for example, circles, triangles, squares, quadrilaterals, tetrahedrons,quadrilateral pyramids, triangular prisms, hexahedrons, or partialshapes or combinations of shapes thereof.

Information regarding an intended (or predetermined) use of part 12(e.g., constraints—shown on the left of FIG. 8, and forces—shown on theright in FIG. 8) and material properties of part 12 (e.g., matrixproperties, fiber properties, matrix/fiber ratios) and tool pathtrajectories may be received by processor 26 (Operation 230). Thematerial properties may include a type of material, viscosity of thematerial, melting point of the material, stiffness of the material,Young's moduli of the material, composition of the material, Poissson'sratios, shear moduli, density, coefficients of thermal expansion,thermal conductivity, specific heat, and viscoelastic properties. In anexample, the intended or predetermined use of the part includes afunctional attribute of the part, such as use of the part in a largerobject, structure or system, or use of the part as a standalone object.Like model 40, the intended use and material properties information ofpart 12 may be received by way of I/O devices 28 or a networkconnection, retrieved by processor 26 from memory 30, and/or created andmodified by processor 26 using programs 32. For example, theconstraints, forces, matrix properties, fiber properties, andmatrix/fiber ratios may be manually input by a user of computing device15. One or more of the properties may be derived by stress testing ofstandardized bars, and then stored for later retrieval during analysis.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the stiffness-contributing portions (e.g.,the continuous fibers, the chopped fibers, and/or the polymer chains)deposited in general alignment with the center-line of track T by head20 during fabrication of part 12 may pass through each analytic element42 differently. For example, some analytic elements 42 may contain agreater or lesser number of stiffness-contributing portions than otherelements 42, and the stiffness-contributing portions may pass throughthe different analytic elements 42 at different locations and angles.This arrangement of stiffness-contributing portions within each analyticelement 42 may provide each analytic element 42 with different localcharacteristics (e.g., stiffness). The local characteristics of eachanalytic element 42 may aggregate to produce global characteristics ofpart 12. Accordingly, in order to solve for the global characteristicsof part 12, the arrangement (e.g., number, density, alignment, etc.) ofstiffness-contributing portions within each analytic element 42 and thecorresponding effect of the arrangement may first be determined.

A stiffness of the elements 42 scales with the number and/ordistribution of stiffness-contributing portions. For example, a firstelement with a greater number of stiffness-contributing portions ascompared to a second element may be more stiff than the second element.As an alternative or in addition, the orientation of individualstiffness-contributing portions relative to one another may determinethe stiffness of the elements. In an example, the elements 42 include aplurality of stiffness-contributing portions that are parallel orsubstantially parallel to one another, which may yield a stiffness thatis different than a scenario in which the stiffness-contributingportions are not parallel to another (e.g., the stiffness-contributingportions are perpendicular to one another).

The arrangement of fibers within each analytic element 42 may berepresented as a set of intersection points (i.e., points where eachfiber intersects each analytic element 42 and/or each other) anddirectional vectors. The intersection points and directional vectors maybe determined as a function of the virtual mesh created at operation 220and a tool path (intended or actual) of head 20. The tool path may bemanually generated, automatically generated by processor 26 as afunction of a size and shape of model 40 and known or predeterminedcapabilities of printer 14, and/or manually selected by the user from alisting of available tool paths that have been automatically generated.Tool path generation may take place at a Operation 240.

After receiving the intended use information, the material propertiesinformation, and the tool path information, processor 26 may beconfigured to determine performance characteristics of each analyticelement 42 (Operation 250). This may include, among other things,solving for the locations of the intersection points and the directionalvectors described above. This is solved based on 3D geometry basedalgorithms (e.g., creating a convex hull from intersection pointsbetween a tetrahedron and a hexahedron, and then subsequently computinga volume of the convex hull to determine a filament contribution to thestiffness of the element). In addition, processor 26 may use theintersection points, the directional vectors, and the fiber properties(e.g., an assumed rectangular, circular, or oval cross-sectional fiberarea) to determine a volume of the fibers and a remaining volume of thematrix encompassed within each analytic element 42. Further, processor26 may determine, based also on the intersection points, the directionalvectors, the fiber properties (e.g., compressive and/or tensilestiffness), and the matrix properties, the combined contributions of thefibers and the matrix to a three-dimensional stiffness of each analyticelement 42.

Processor 26 may then apply the intended use conditions (e.g., theconstraints and forces received at operation 230) at corresponding nodesand/or surfaces of analytic elements 42 in the mesh of model 40 (seeFIG. 5), and determine (e.g., predict) the global performance of part 12based on an aggregated stiffness of each individual analytic element 42(Operation 260). For example, as seen in FIG. 5, model 40 of part 12 isshown as being constrained at a left end, with a force of a particularmagnitude and direction being applied at a right end. Processor 26 mayyield results in the form of nodal displacements and element stresses.The nodal displacements and element stresses may then be translated intofiber displacement fields and stress fields, which can be shown overlaidwith model 40 on display 24 (Operation 270). For example, model 40 isshown in FIG. 5 having a displacement of a particular distance in adirection generally aligned with the applied force direction. Inaddition, model 40 has been shaded and/or colored in FIG. 5 toillustrate stresses at different locations within part 12 that arecaused by the displacement. The tool path generated at operation 240 mayalso be shown at this time, in connection with the displacement fieldsand/or stress fields.

The displacement and/or stress fields may be viewed in a variety ofways. For example, a user interface, such as a graphical user interfaceor web-based user interface, may be provided that includes a slider(e.g., an actual or virtual slider), which can be moved by a user (e.g.,left to right) to generate a viewing control instruction. Based on theviewing control instruction, a virtual progression of part 12 may begenerated showing how part 12 will be printed and correspondingdisplacement and/or stress fields inside of part 12. In other words, thepredicted performance of part 12 may be shown overlapped with only aportion of the print head tool path on part 12, the portioncorresponding to a position of the slider.

Processor 26 may be configured to implement an optimization operationusing the results of operation 260. Specifically, processor 26 may beconfigured to determine if the predicted performance of part 12 isacceptable (Operation 270), and to selectively repeat method 200 using adifferent tool path (and corresponding fiber trajectories) when thepredicted performance is unacceptable. For example, processor 26 maycompare one or more predicted performance parameters (e.g. stress fieldand/or displacement field) to one or more design criteria (maximumdisplacement field, maximum stress field, etc.). When the comparisonindicates that part 12 is likely to perform poorly, processor 26 mayreturn to operation 240 and generate an alternative tool path. Controlmay then loop through operations 240-280 until acceptable partperformance is determined, at which point processor 26 may cause printer14 to fabricate part 12 using the corresponding tool path (Operation290).

In some cases, while the part 12 is printed, the performance of the partmay be determined and used to update the tool path. In principle, thismay be used to optimize fabrication of the part 12.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variousmodifications and variations can be made to the disclosed system andmethod. Other embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the artfrom consideration of the specification and practice of the disclosedsystem and method. It is intended that the specification and examples beconsidered as exemplary only, with a true scope being indicated by thefollowing claims and their equivalents.

While preferred embodiments of the present invention have been shown anddescribed herein, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art thatsuch embodiments are provided by way of example only. It is not intendedthat the invention be limited by the specific examples provided withinthe specification. While the invention has been described with referenceto the aforementioned specification, the descriptions and illustrationsof the embodiments herein are not meant to be construed in a limitingsense. Numerous variations, changes, and substitutions will now occur tothose skilled in the art without departing from the invention.Furthermore, it shall be understood that all aspects of the inventionare not limited to the specific depictions, configurations or relativeproportions set forth herein which depend upon a variety of conditionsand variables. It should be understood that various alternatives to theembodiments of the invention described herein may be employed inpracticing the invention. It is therefore contemplated that theinvention shall also cover any such alternatives, modifications,variations or equivalents. It is intended that the following claimsdefine the scope of the invention and that methods and structures withinthe scope of these claims and their equivalents be covered thereby.

1.-30. (canceled)
 31. A method for structurally analyzing athree-dimensional object, comprising: (a) using a model of thethree-dimensional object, generating a print head tool path that isusable by a print head to print the three-dimensional object from amaterial comprising a fiber; (b) using one or more computer processorsto determine a performance of the three-dimensional object based atleast in part on (i) one or more properties of the material and (ii) atrajectory of at least one stiffness-contributing portion of thematerial determined based at least in part on the print head tool path,wherein the at least one stiffness-contributing portion corresponds tothe fiber; and (c) electronically outputting the performance of thethree-dimensional object.
 32. The method of claim 31, wherein the atleast one stiffness-contributing portion corresponds to one or moremembers selected from the group consisting of a continuous fiber,chopped fibers, and polymer chains.
 33. The method of claim 31, furthercomprising generating a mesh of analytic elements corresponding to themodel of the three-dimensional object; and determining a trajectory ofthe at least one stiffness-contributing portion through the mesh ofanalytic elements.
 34. The method of claim 33, further comprisingdetermining a three-dimensional stiffness of each of the analyticelements using the at least one stiffness-contributing portion.
 35. Themethod of claim 33, further comprising determining a three-dimensionalstiffness of each of the analytic elements based at least in part on oneor more of (i) the trajectory of the at least one stiffness-contributingportion through the analytic elements, (ii) the one or more propertiesof the material, and (iii) an orientation of the at least onestiffness-contributing portion relative to one another.
 36. The methodof claim 35, further comprising: determining intersection points anddirectional vectors of the at least one stiffness contributing portion;using the intersection points to determine a volume of the analyticelements corresponding to the at least one stiffness contributingportion; and determining the three-dimensional stiffness of each of theanalytic elements using the volume of the analytic elementscorresponding to the at least one stiffness contributing portion, theone or more properties of the material, one or more properties of the atleast one stiffness contributing portion, and the directional vectors.37. The method of claim 33, wherein (b) comprises determining theperformance of the three-dimensional object based at least in part on anaggregation of three-dimensional stiffnesses of the analytic elements.38. The method of claim 31, wherein the performance of thethree-dimensional object determined in (b) comprises at least one of adisplacement field and a stress field of the three-dimensional object.39. The method of claim 38, further comprising: receiving useinformation for the three-dimensional object; and determining at leastone of the displacement field and the stress field of thethree-dimensional object based at least in part on the use information.40. The method of claim 31, further comprising displaying, on agraphical user interface, (i) the performance or (ii) the print headtool path.
 41. The method of claim 40, further comprising displaying, onthe graphical user interface, a graphical representation of theperformance and one or more of (i) the model of the three-dimensionalobject, and (ii) the print head tool path.
 42. The method of claim 40,further comprising: receiving instruction from a user to view aprogression of the print head during simulated printing of thethree-dimensional object along the print head tool path; and displayingon the graphical user interface the performance and at least a portionof the print head tool path.
 43. The method of claim 31, furthercomprising transmitting instructions to a three-dimensional printercomprising the print head to print at least a portion of thethree-dimensional object along the print head tool path.
 44. The methodof claim 31, further comprising using a three-dimensional printercomprising the print head to print at least a portion of thethree-dimensional object along the print head tool path.
 45. The methodof claim 44, wherein the print head additively generates the at leastthe portion of three-dimensional object.
 46. The method of claim 44,further comprising, prior to using the print head to print the at leastthe portion of the three-dimensional object, receiving instruction(s)from a user to print the at least the portion of the three-dimensionalobject.
 47. The method of claim 44, wherein the at least the portion ofthe three-dimensional object is printed if the performance meets withrespect to at least one reference performance.
 48. The method of claim31, further comprising repeating (c) to generate one or more additionalprint head tool paths.
 49. The method of claim 31, further comprising:generating an additional print head tool path upon processing theperformance of the three-dimensional object against at least onereference performance, which additional print head tool path provides anadditional performance of the three-dimensional object; andelectronically outputting the additional print head tool path, whereinthe additional print head tool path is usable by the print head to printthe three-dimensional object from the material comprising the fiber. 50.A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising machine-executablecode that, upon execution by one or more computer processors, implementsa method for structurally analyzing a three-dimensional object, themethod comprising: (a) using a model of the three-dimensional object,generating a print head tool path that is usable by a print head toprint the three-dimensional object from a material comprising a fiber;(b) determine a performance of the three-dimensional object based atleast in part on (i) one or more properties of the material and (ii) atrajectory of at least one stiffness-contributing portion of thematerial determined based at least in part on the print head tool path,wherein the at least one stiffness-contributing portion corresponds tothe fiber; and (c) electronically outputting the performance of thethree-dimensional object.
 51. A system for structurally analyzing athree-dimensional object, comprising: computer memory comprisingmachine-executable instructions stored therein for structurallyanalyzing the three-dimensional object; one or more computer processorsin electrical communication with the computer memory and programmed toexecute the machine-executable instructions to: (i) use a model of thethree-dimensional object to generate a print head tool path that isusable by a print head to print the three-dimensional object from amaterial comprising a fiber; (ii) determine a performance of thethree-dimensional object based at least in part on (i) one or moreproperties of the material and (ii) a trajectory of at least onestiffness-contributing portion of the material determined based at leastin part on the print head tool path, wherein the at least onestiffness-contributing portion corresponds to the fiber; and (iii)electronically output the performance of the three-dimensional object.52. The system of claim 51, further comprising a print head that isconfigured to print the three-dimensional object along the print headtool path.